Some of you may remember my Lego Space Marines blend I uploaded at the start of the year, a blend that's been one of my most-downloaded models. Thanks to my own skill improvements, a much better computer purchase, and some of Blender's nifty new features since then, I'm proud to present an entirely new set of high-quality Space Marines. This has a number of significant improvements over the older blend, including:

Higher-Quality Minifig Model: The minifig model is now higher-resolution, with accurate placement of stud holes on the bottom and back of the legs. The topology itself has been reworked to provide for a cleaner, easier-to-manage experience.

Better Armor: The new duds the Space Marines have donned are a significant improvement over the chunky, ugly armor worn by their predecessors. This version features smooth curves, a much higher level of detail, and improved unit and rank insignia. While subdivision modeling is employed to enhance realism, both the armor and the minifigures can have the subdivision turned off to create a poly-count low enough for decent-quality realtime applications.

Better rendering & realism: The Space Marines are now rendered in Cycles, with 1000 passes being employed to ensure that they stand out from the crowd and look much more like actual Lego figures. All sharp edges are slightly rounded to give that extra-realistic feel, and Cycles' improvements in lighting and depth of field over the Blender Internal render engine give the scene a more photographic appearance. No more overdone chromatic aberration, SIR!

Better guns: Let's face it, the previous editions' guns were just boxes with tubes stuck in. These Marines carry the latest and greatest in space weaponry, with detailed but still Lego-esque design and a much improved heft and interaction with the rest of the scenery.

Well, that's about it for the wonderful new features. As always, let me know if you do anything really cool with 'em, or make any money off them. I may come back to these guys later to make an animation, and an addon set with new troop types might be in the works...